Related Articles

HOUSTON— While some Tea Party-backed candidates have lost recent primaries in other states, the movement continues to dominate Republican Party politics in Texas. Voters who identify with the movement and its values came out in force during the primary election that ended Tuesday, handing victory to some of their favorites.

There was no clearer sign of the enduring strength of the Tea Party movement in Texas than the victory of state Senator Dan Patrick for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor.

"My voice is not going - it is the people's voice - is not going to the office of lieutenant governor come November when we beat the Democrats, it is the people's voice," said Patrick.

Patrick, a conservative radio talk show host and state senator from Houston, beat his rival, Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, by 30 points. It is the first time in recent Texas history that an incumbent has been defeated in a primary. Strong Tea Party support for Patrick sealed his victory, while Tea Party-backed candidates in Georgia, North Carolina and Kentucky were defeated.

Political analyst Mark Jones, who teaches at Rice University in Houston, says the Texas Tea Party had better candidates.

"In those states, the Tea Party candidates in many cases were rather flawed, while here in Texas we had some very credible and very talented Tea Party candidates," said Jones.

There have been splits in some Texas Tea Party groups, leading to speculation that the movement's influence might diminish. But Jones says what matters is the resonance of Tea Party themes among voters who may never join a group, but who support the goals of the movement.

"The Tea Party movement is best thought of as an approach to politics which varies depending on what part of the state you are in and which Tea Party group you are in in the same county. But it shares a general support for limited government and skepticism for the status quo and business as usual," he said.

Jones says the defeated David Dewhurst represented the status quo to many Tea Party members. He tried to court them and tout his own conservatism, but conservative voters were sold on Patrick.

Mark Jones says Republican voters' rejection of experienced party stalwarts like Dewhurst could hurt the party down the road, especially if newly elected Tea Party favorites take divisive actions that alienate more moderate voters.

"I think one hope that Democrats have is that someone like Dan Patrick as lieutenant governor gets to Austin [the Texas state capital] and is a sufficiently polarizing force that he drives a lot of moderates and centrist Republicans as well as independents to the Democratic Party," said Jones.

But Jones does not see that happening soon, even as the state's demography shifts in favor of Democrats. Jones says it may take until 2020 or 2022 for Democrats to gain enough strength to overcome the strong voter base of the Tea Party-dominated Republicans and win a statewide office.

Manned deep space missions are still a long way off, but space agencies are already testing procedures, equipment and human stamina for operations in extreme environment conditions. Small groups of astronauts take turns in spending days in an underwater lab, off Florida’s southern coast, simulating future missions to some remote world. VOA’s George Putic reports.

Video

Manned deep space missions are still a long way off, but space agencies are already testing procedures, equipment and human stamina for operations in extreme environment conditions. Small groups of astronauts take turns in spending days in an underwater lab, off Florida’s southern coast, simulating future missions to some remote world. VOA’s George Putic reports.

Video

Fifty years ago, lawmakers approved, and U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed, the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The measure outlawed racial discrimination in voting, giving millions of blacks in many parts of the southern United States federal enforcement of the right to vote. Correspondent Chris Simkins introduces us to some civil rights leaders who were on the front lines in the struggle for voting rights.

Video

Billions of dollars of so-called ‘dirty money’ from the proceeds of crime - especially from Russia - are being laundered through the London property market, according to anti-corruption activists. As Henry Ridgwell reports from the British capital, the government has pledged to crack down on the practice.

Video

Ottawa, Illinois, is the hometown of W.D. Boyce, who founded the Boy Scouts of America in 1910. In Ottawa, where Scouting remains an important part of the legacy of the community, the end of the organization's ban on openly gay adult leaders was seen as inevitable. VOA's Kane Farabaugh reports.

Video

Artificial limbs, including the most complex of them – the human hand – are getting more life-like and useful due to constant advances in tiny hydraulic, pneumatic and electric motors called actuators. But now, as VOA’s George Putic reports, scientists in Germany say the future of the prosthetic hand may lie not in motors but in wires that can ‘remember’ their shape.

Video

A British pro-democracy group has accused Russia of abusing the global law enforcement agency Interpol by requesting the arrest and extradition of political opponents. A new report by the group notes such requests can mean the accused are unable to travel and are often unable to open bank accounts. VOA's Henry Ridgwell reports.

Video

Talks on a major new trade agreement among 12 Pacific Rim nations are said to be nearing completion in Hawaii. Some trade experts say the "positive atmosphere" at the discussions could mean a deal is within reach, but there is still hard bargaining to be done over many issues and products, including U.S. drugs and Japanese rice. VOA's Jim Randle reports.

Video

Earth is in the midst of its sixth mass extinction. The last such event was caused by an asteroid 66 million years ago. It killed off the dinosaurs and practically everything else. So scientists are in a race against time to classify the estimated 11 million species alive today. So far only 2 million are described by science, and researchers are worried many will disappear before they even have a name. VOA’s Rosanne Skirble reports.

Video

Scientists have long been trying to develop an effective protection and cure for malaria - one of the deadliest diseases that affects people in tropical areas, especially children. As the World Health Organization announces plans to begin clinical trials of a promising new vaccine, scientists in South Africa report that they too are at an important threshold. George Putic reports, they are testing a compound that could be a single-dose cure for malaria.

Video

The latest issue of 'New York' magazine features 35 women who say they were drugged and raped by film and television celebrity Bill Cosby. The women are aged from 44 to 80 and come from different walks of life and races. The magazine interviewed each of them separately, but Zlatica Hoke reports their stories are similar.

Video

The United States is promising not to give up its fight against what Secretary of State John Kerry calls the “scourge” of modern slavery. Officials released the country’s annual human trafficking report Monday – a report that’s being met with some criticism. VOA’s National Security correspondent Jeff Seldin has more from the State Department.

Video

Abandoned more than 50 years ago, the underground streetcar station in Washington D.C.’s historic DuPont Circle district is about to be reborn. The plan calls for turning the spacious underground platforms - once meant to be a transportation hub, - into a unique space for art exhibitions, presentations, concerts and even a film set. Roman Mamonov has more from beneath the streets of the U.S. capital. Joy Wagner narrates his report.

Video

Greece has replaced Italy as the main gateway for migrants into Europe, with more than 100,000 arrivals in the first six months of 2015. Many want to move further into Europe and escape Greece’s economic crisis, but they face widespread dangers on the journey overland through the Balkans. VOA's Henry Ridgwell reports.

Video

After the closure of a major rubbish dump a week ago, the streets of Beirut are filling up with trash. Having failed to draw up a plan B, politicians are struggling to deal with the problem. John Owens has more for VOA from Beirut.

Video

A U.N. climate conference in December aims to produce an ambitious agreement to fight heat-trapping greenhouse gases. But many local governments are not waiting, and have drafted their own climate action plans. That’s the case with Paris — which is getting special attention, since it’s hosting the climate summit. Lisa Bryant takes a look for VOA at the transformation of the French capital into an eco-city.